pH adjusters (lime and sulfur) can be found on the Soil Testing page.

Practice sustainable gardening by using no-cost or low-cost amendments such as locally available manure and compost and 'home-grown' compost, leaves, grass clippings, cover crops, and kitchen scraps.

Soil amendments are applied to or mixed into the topsoil to improve soil properties and plant growth.Organic matter is measured by weight, not volume. Most soil testing labs include the organic matter test in their basic soil test.These soils are loose, easy to prepare for planting seeds and plants and have a large number of earthworms. Most garden and landscape plants perform best when the soil organic matter level is at least 2% (the goal for vegetable and flower beds should be 5%-10%).Compost and pine bark fines are good peat moss substitutes (a mined and non-renewable natural resource).OM improves soil aeration, water drainage, root growth, and biological activity.

Soils high in OM retain more moisture, have a crumbly structure that resists soil compaction, and contain a reservoir of nutrients that are slowly released over time.

Adding organic matter improves soils high in clay or sand.There can be a billion microorganisms in a teaspoon of compost or soil! Materials we think of as dead, like brown, dried up leaves or banana peels, are teeming with microbial life. Soil organic matter (OM) is made up of living, dead, and decomposing plants, small animals, and microorganisms.Most soil amendments supply some plant nutrients and some compost and manure products double as fertilizers with a guaranteed nutrient analysis. For example, compost improves soil structure and lime increases soil pH. Soil amendments are materials applied to or mixed into the topsoil to change or change soil properties and improve plant growth.Most garden and landscape plants benefit from increases in soil organic matter. Organic matter is a major contributor to soil health.Organic matter includes plants and animals that are alive, dead, or in some stage of decomposition.

What is inorganic matter